Are all modern non-sports cars mediocre to drive? Family vehicle edition

[bcrdukes]

I should have been more specific - Look into the older, used Cayanne V6 models. They are cheap to buy and most have been well maintained. The only real issues on them are the models with air suspension (why would you want that anyway?) and the driveshaft, but again, most have been taken care of. Otherwise, they are very reliable and cost of ownership is reasonable. The Cayenne S V8 models need their coolant hoses replaced but I think that's more car than most of us need.

I can't speak for the newer ones. Porsche feels they aren't worth much because the cost of entry into the Porsche circuit is cheap with these cars, unlike the 911, Boxster, and Cayman etc. I sure as hell won't get another BMW.

[ilvtofu]

Originally Posted by slicrick

Have you considered the Infiniti EX35/EX37?

It is built on the same platform as the G35/G37 and drives similarly to one, also, dat VQ exhaust note. They have been around for a long time now (08-16) between the EX35, EX37 and QX50 which means there is lots of options as far as used examples go. They have a solid track record of reliability as far as I understand and servicing costs shouldn't be outrageous, fuel mileage isn't very good though.

It is kind of an odd size, not small enough to be a "car" but not big enough to be an SUV/CUV, I think it is a nice medium between the two though. I would encourage you to look at one. I think they're great cars.

I haven't driven the previous gen but drove a brand new generation QX50 (longer wheelbase) from Autowest BMW as a courtesy car last week. I swear they give you that car to make you really love your BMW. Not only is "dat VQ" notoriously bad on gas, it vibrates like a bitch at a stop light if you leave it in D (at least this courtesy car did), worse than a 2016 Corolla or Civic IMO. The back seat is actually very good with the new body but the interior is very dated with WAY too many buttons. Soft touch materials on the dash but the dash literally looks like a plumber's crack. This interior would have been great 10 years ago but it's just a POS for a brand new "luxury branded" car. Ironically I think the similarly priced Murano is a much nicer CUV. I really don't know how after 7 years of building this car, they thought the current iteration was a worthy update.


Literally looks like ass.

Infiniti had a good run in the mid 2000's but they really screwed the pooch and got lazy with their engineering/interiors in the last 3 years.

Used CX5 seems like the way to go. Used 2013/2014 Escape are decent to drive and cheap but I'm not sure about reliability/fuel economy.

[Tapioca]

I test drove a brand new Mazda 5 with a six-speed manual and a CX-5 with an automatic. I was disappointed with the somewhat over-assisted steering feel of the 5, but that 6-speed box was pretty good.

With respect to the CX-5, I was quite impressed with the steering feel - Mazda got the implementation of the electronic steering box right. The Skyactive engine made a decent sound on half-throttle too. I can see why there are so many of them on the road.

[Eff-1]

A4 avant? B7 or B8?

[whitev70r]

Corolla has an S trim.

[Galactic_Phantom]

^ not sure if srs

Originally Posted by Eff-1

A4 avant? B7 or B8?

oh god the B8's steering is horrendous

[whitev70r]

OK, this is srs:
2007 MASERATI QUATTROPORTE M139 NO ACCIDENTS (WHITE/BROWN)

2007 MASERATI QUATTROPORTE M139, $30K

[UFO]

When i was in your position, I gave up and bought and bought a Camry. Hybrid. And I love it. Big, soft, smooth, vague, thing feels like it drives itself.

With 2 kids, wife, and groceries and various other junk in your car, driving dynamics will be the last thing on your mind.

Don't live in denial. You will eventually arrive where we all end up.

[Expresso]

^lol

Just give up!

[bcrdukes]

Give up on life!

[trollguy]

Originally Posted by GS8

I can't help you with your vehicle choice.

All I can say is that new cars suck to me. The newest car I owned was a MY 2009 and I felt that was the newest I'd go. Now I drive a MY 97 car and it's great. Is it as refined? No but that's what makes it more engaging. I like moving parts, not electronic data.

The idea of owning a new(er) car past its warranty, regardless of brand, makes me cringe.

Mini rant: There's no replacement for a skilled driver. Fuck all these safety nanny gimmick bullshit sensors that are just more potential things that can go wrong. It's just more planned obsolescence fodder that the dealers can use to rape you when that shit breaks down. Same goes for those complicated nav / media units.

Just get a smartphone. Cheaper to replace yet can handle all your media and navigation needs

Yes I speak from someone who's been driving for decades and the idea of a new kid learning to drive in a 1975 Oldsmobile 98 makes me super hard. Sign of the times though.

Hopefully by the time sentient cars become the norm, I'll be too feeble or too dead to partake.

[yray]

They given up on life, now thats why every Camry Hybrid driver I've seen drives like they need to shit their pants.

[Liquid_o2]

Probably not an answer to what you are looking for, but when I was car shopping a few years back I was looking for a reliable 4 door that was fun to drive and had some storage for all my nephews stuff. Unfortunately all the cars I was test driving were primarily auto (including the new Mazda 3 GT) and were an absolute bore. Don't get me started on the CVT's.

Ended up with a Civic Si sedan because dat manual gearbox makes everyday commuting to work a pleasure.
Trunk surprisingly fits all my nephews stuff including his stroller, plus some shopping bags. I constantly use it for soccer and carpool with teammates easily fitting everyone's big soccer bags, and gone up with Whistler for a conference with an entire trade show booth in the trunk.
Overall it's been super practical.

[Akinari]

Whatever you do, stay as far away as possible from the current-gen (including the new 2016 facelifted) RAV4.

Having worked at Toyota for awhile a few years ago, I can firmly state that it was my most hated car in the entire lineup, by a long shot. Handling was wallowy, steering was completely dead and severely artificially weighted in an attempt to make it not dead, the motor (and every Toyota with a 2AR-FE) is so unrefined and sounds like a damn leafblower, it can't really go off-road, yet it's on-road driving characteristics aren't stellar either. It just feels like such an appliance, dare I say even more so than a Corolla or Camry Hybrid, which by the way are actually great to drive if you're looking for something comfortable and relatively painless relatively speaking.

Perhaps check out the new Civic Touring? Stellar reviews continuously pour in from all directions on how great it is, especially that new turbo motor paired to what is being touted as the best CVT on the market right now (6spd coming soon). Hondata tested the Touring back-to-back with several different 9th gen Si's and found it to be consistently quicker in every case.

Plus you get all those extra features never offered in the class like auto braking, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, road/lane departure assist, forward collision assist, full LED headlights, front and rear heated seats, nav, CarPlay/Android Auto etc. etc.

And I don't know about the rest of you guys, but after seeing a few on the roads in black, gdamn the new Civic looks nothing like a Civic, in fact it looks really sexy, something I'd actually want to drive, especially for something that is under $30,000 fully loaded. Also tons of tuning potential with that new 1.5L motor, Injen just released a CAI for the new turbo Civic and the gains are staggering.

I myself am considering a the 2-door coupe Touring when it is released. Looks out-of-this-world sexy in black. Just going to wait for the 6spd manual.

[Traum]

While the 2016 Civic has a really, really ugly rear end, the rest of the car is very, very nice as Akinari has mentioned. The car is very roomy everywhere, and it handles well. The 2.0L cars have a stop sale order due to an engine recall now, and those are the only ones that can be hand with a manual tranny for the moment. The 1.5T cars only come with the CVT for now, but the CVT seems to work very well.

As mentioned already, the Mazda6 is also a good option to consider. In fact, I find the 2016 Civic quite similar to the Mazda6 in many regards, although the 6 seems like a bigger, more powerful, and better handling version of the Civic.

But really, you need to get yourself this:

YouTube

300+ hp Sienna that is faster than a V8 Camaro SS auto around the Streets of Willow

[Gucci Mane]

Well you said that you liked the CX-3 so maybe just look into one of those?

[heleu]

I have a 2 month old and also a 3 year old, so I'll add my two cents.

First off, don't decide on a car just to suit rear facing car seats. That phase ends in usually in a year (less if you had a chubby baby like mine). Front facing car seats take far less space. My friend does daily daycare duty with her 4 and 6 year olds in a Celica with two carseats in the back.

Secondly, it's worth paying extra for a more compact stroller (e.g. McClaren) so that you don't need a SUV/CUV to fit it in the trunk.

I drive a lot for work (different construction sites), so I didn't want to compromise my driving enjoyment just for some extra marginal utility.

My Mk7 GTI fits my family just fine as far as I'm concerned. 6 speed manual of course.

[roastpuff]

In preparation for my future family, I went to a truck. Ram 1500. Surprisingly it doesn't handle badly for such a big vehicle... and with the Hemi V8 it has lots of power in a straight line.

[Liquid_o2]

Originally Posted by Traum

While the 2016 Civic has a really, really ugly rear end, the rest of the car is very, very nice as Akinari has mentioned. The car is very roomy everywhere, and it handles well. The 2.0L cars have a stop sale order due to an engine recall now, and those are the only ones that can be hand with a manual tranny for the moment. The 1.5T cars only come with the CVT for now, but the CVT seems to work very well.

I'm the complete opposite and don't mind the back but hate the front. There is something wrong with the proportions of the front end combined with the front wheel arches...

[Tapioca]

Originally Posted by heleu

I have a 2 month old and also a 3 year old, so I'll add my two cents.

First off, don't decide on a car just to suit rear facing car seats. That phase ends in usually in a year (less if you had a chubby baby like mine). Front facing car seats take far less space. My friend does daily daycare duty with her 4 and 6 year olds in a Celica with two carseats in the back.

Secondly, it's worth paying extra for a more compact stroller (e.g. McClaren) so that you don't need a SUV/CUV to fit it in the trunk.

I drive a lot for work (different construction sites), so I didn't want to compromise my driving enjoyment just for some extra marginal utility.

My Mk7 GTI fits my family just fine as far as I'm concerned. 6 speed manual of course.

Appreciate the input. I know it's legal to have a forward facing convertible seat as year as 1 year, but I think the wife and I would like to keep the seat rear facing for as long as we can (e.g. until our daughter can no longer tolerate it). We're thinking about a second one sooner rather than later, so we may end up with the infant seat and rear facing convertible seat at the same time. Both seats are Britax which are not the largest seats, but not the smallest either. We like Britax, so when it's time to give up the bucket for good, we'll have two convertible Britax seats in the back.

We have an umbrella stroller in addition to our Baby Jogger. Not a Maclaren, but very similar. It stays in the trunk of our Mazda 3, while our Baby Jogger is saved for the rough sidewalks in our neighbourhood.

If Mazda still made a Mazda 6 wagon, I would probably be all over that. A hatch is so useful.

[Traum]

Originally Posted by Tapioca

If Mazda still made a Mazda 6 wagon, I would probably be all over that. A hatch is so useful.

The CX-5 is essentially a lifted Mazda6 now. I know you've mentioned before that you don't particularly want an SUV, so I guess it is kind of a moot point.

[fliptuner]

While front facing seats might take up less space, the kids are also going to want to constantly kick the back of the front seat, unless you put it in the middle.

I was looking at Highlanders but goddamn, they're expensive. We'll probably look at new CX-5's soon. And yeah, Mazda 3's + jogging strollers (ie: Bob) = goodbye trunk.

[TypeRNammer]

I was looking at the Honda HRV and god damn its pricey when fully loaded. 35 grand taxes in.

[heleu]

Originally Posted by Tapioca

Appreciate the input. I know it's legal to have a forward facing convertible seat as year as 1 year, but I think the wife and I would like to keep the seat rear facing for as long as we can (e.g. until our daughter can no longer tolerate it). We're thinking about a second one sooner rather than later, so we may end up with the infant seat and rear facing convertible seat at the same time. Both seats are Britax which are not the largest seats, but not the smallest either. We like Britax, so when it's time to give up the bucket for good, we'll have two convertible Britax seats in the back.

We have an umbrella stroller in addition to our Baby Jogger. Not a Maclaren, but very similar. It stays in the trunk of our Mazda 3, while our Baby Jogger is saved for the rough sidewalks in our neighbourhood.

If Mazda still made a Mazda 6 wagon, I would probably be all over that. A hatch is so useful.

Don't get me wrong, I do wish for more space, but I'm just not happy with the choices out there that are fun to drive. e.g. I wish that I could afford a Cayenne GTS manual.

The other thing I've realized is that 95% of the time, I don't need the extra space that a van/SUV would give me. I think if I do a road trip somewhere, I'm just going to rent a car.

Originally Posted by fliptuner

While front facing seats might take up less space, the kids are also going to want to constantly kick the back of the front seat, unless you put it in the middle.

haha...I've given up on keeping the back of my seat clean. Also, the rubber mats in my GTI are staying there permanently. There's really no use putting in cloth mats with kids. Too many spills, muddy shoes, etc.

[hamhead]

dont know why you gave up the nissan rogue. i got one and its great for what i need it for.

roomy, functional, awd, easy to use, good on gas, decent driving dynamics (has the active trace control like torque vectoring, so turns great)

as for power on the rogue, it is not great, but its not a sports car, its a suv. i keep up with bigger cars fine, just set the cruise and leave it. so what if the engine revs high on highways in the rockies to keep up on hills or what not, thats what an engine is made for